Blackout
by HollyHop
Summary: When a powercut leaves Starbug paralysed, Lister and Rimmer are locked into their quarters with no chance of escape. Maybe now is the time to get some things out in the open. Romance and a bit of fluffiness.


Set after Legion, for obvious reasons. Otherwise not many connections to the actual events of series 6, 7 or 8.

Rated R for slash

Blackout

Chapter 1

Rimmer was sitting at the table re-reading his book on astro-navigation for the tenth time and not really getting any closer to understanding any of it. Lister was watching a game show on Holly's monitor, when suddenly the TV blinked and went black. At the same moment the lights went out, throwing them into pitch darkness.

"Ah, wha' is it this time?" Lister mumbled and tried to climb down from the top bunk without falling. As his feet touched the floor the back-up generator sprang to life and the dim emergency lights threw the room into an eerie twilight.

"Holly?" Rimmer's voice was slightly impatient. "Holly, what's happening?"

There was no reply. Lister went over to the screen from which Holly's face usually loomed. He switched the button off and then on again, but nothing happened. Rimmer got up from the table and went over to the door.

"Open." Needless to say it did not.

"Oh, no, this is ridiculous. We can't even get to the bridge? How are we going to find out what's happening?" Rimmer's voice was annoyed and slightly tinged with panic now.

"The power will come back on in a sec. Holly's just playing a prank." Lister tried to sound calm and flippant, but wasn't quite convinced himself.

They both sat down at the table and waited, but nothing happened. They started banging at the door in the vain hope that either Cat or Kryten were not locked into whichever room they had happened to be in when the power went down.

"Do you think the oxygen supply is down as well?" Lister asked panting from the effort of trying to pry the door open with force.

"No, if the generator is working and the lights are on, then the oxygen supply should be running as well. But we are probably drifting through space right now without any engines and any old asteroid coming our way will swat us like a fly." Rimmer's voice was bitter now. Even though he was practically indestructible, being a hardlight hologramm, he lived in constant fear of death or mutilation.

Lister sighed. They would just have to wait it out. Great. He slumped back onto the chair and looked at Rimmer. His roommate and, well, his friend. They had become reluctant friends over the years despite Rimmer's constant whining and criticising and despite Lister's untidiness and his neverending mocking of Rimmer's faults. Their banter growing less spiteful over the years and the times they saved each other's lives more numerous. Lately Lister had even felt more at home here on Red Dwarf, than he ever had back home on Earth. He had gotten used to their days spent in leisure with a few adventurous capers inbetween to keep them on their toes. The evenings with Rimmer, Cat and Kryten were fun and even if the two of them had other things to do, he and Rimmer would still play cards together or watch a show from Holly's memory bank. Sometimes, like tonight, they would simply go about their own interests and still enjoy the company of having someone around. It kept the loneliness at bay.

The only thing that had bothered Lister in the past couple of months, was that he had been getting lonely even when Rimmer just left the room for a short while to go to the bridge. And sometimes he found himself thinking that it would be nice, if they could spend more time together. Then of course he'd cursed himself, because spending more time with Rimmer would mean that they spent twenty-four hours a day together and he wouldn't be able to survive that for very long.

A few days later, though, he had followed Rimmer onto the bridge and even into the storage rooms volunteering for the annual inventory and inspection of their food and water supplies. They had had a lot of fun while counting tins of sardines and wondering whether they could make Cat eat them all in one sitting. Sometimes Rimmer's eyes would flash with laughter and Lister could imagine what he would be like, if he was less weighed down by his neuroses and fears.

One day they had just refilled the engine's oil tank and checked whether everything was running smoothly, when Rimmer's trouser leg caught on the sharp metal edge of a spare engine part that was lying by the side of the tank and ripped open. Rimmer got so angry that he pulled fiercely on the fabric, thereby ripping it open even further all the way up to his knees. Lister was almost in tears from laughing so hard by then, that he didn't notice his friend's sudden mood swing straightaway. Only when Rimmer threw his clipboard forcefully at the engine, stomped out of the door and down the corridor, did he realise that his friend was really shaken by this seemingly unimportant little mishap. Later that day, when he had returned to their quarters, Rimmer hadn't spoken a word to him, believing Lister to have laughed at him and his bad fortune instead of the funny sight of the trouser leg ripped open to reveal Rimmer's sock suspenders which Lister still thought were a hoot.

It took Lister three hours to convince Rimmer that he hadn't made fun of him and that not all bad things always happened to him. He had even told him the story about once leaving a bar with a gorgeous girl completely drunk, only to discover she was a bloke when they got back to his place and he took 'her' dress off. He had never told this story to anyone, but he had desperately wanted to make Rimmer feel better. He had been wanting to make Rimmer feel better for quite a while now. Even going so far as to think of Rimmer as someone he genuinely liked and wanted to have around as a friend. And seeing him suffer from his own demons made Lister feel bad.

Chapter 2

And now the engines were down and they were locked in their quarters in the eerie light of the emergency lights. Just the two of them. Maybe it was time to get some stuff off his chest. Stuff like how he sometimes pretended to be watching TV, while he was actually watching Rimmer doing a crossword puzzle. Letting his eyes run along the curve of his neck and into his hair. Running an imaginary hand down his cheek, catching Rimmer's hand in his and kissing the palm gently. And how he sometimes got lost in his friends eyes, completely forgetting what he was about to say.

"Hello-o?" Rimmer was waving a hand in front of his face. "Did you get switched off as well?"

Lister snapped back into reality.

"What?" He tried to focus on the face in front of him and unstick his mind from his previous thought.

"I said," Rimmer overenuciated, "We can't sit around here all day. We have to do something."

"What d'you wanna do?" Lister was still reeling from the sudden change of scene from inside his head to outside.

"Well, there must be some other way out of here. Maybe we could break through one of the walls or climb through the ventilation shaft." Rimmer paced back and forth trying to emphasise his ideas.

"Break through one of the walls? Are you insane? They're made of carbon, they would withstand a lasercanon never mind us two." Lister snorted at this notion.

"The ventilation then. It must lead somewhere." Rimmer's voice took on a desperate note now.

"Yeah." Lister mocked. "Into the turbines, cuttin' us to pieces like minced meat." He looked at Rimmer.

"You think everything I say is stupid, don't you? You think you know everything best and I'm just an idiot. Why do I even bother? You might as well run the ship." Rimmer was getting really worked up now. "Why don't you put on the captain's uniform, I'm sure there are still a few hanging around somewhere and take over?" His voice was now reaching a high-pitched squeak. "Yes, Mr. Lister, sir, Captain, sir. Of course I will do everything you say, since you are the ruler of the universe." Rimmer saluted and then stared at him with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Lister sighed. Here we go again.

"I didn't mean it like that. I only said that we wouldn't stand a chance."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood," Rimmer's voice was ripe with sarcasm, "of course, you didn't think my plan was stupid, you only thought that my plan was stupid."

"Right now I think you're stupid, to be honest." Lister felt his hackles rising as well.

"That's it, isn't it," Rimmer's voice was breaking now, "you think I'm stupid, don't you. You think I'm a complete and utter smeghead with no brains whatsoever."

"I never thought any of that. I thought, that we'd become friends, but clearly I was wrong." Lister voice was getting close to shouting as well now. "I thought I really liked you. And maybe you liked me back. But obviously I'm the idiot here." Then he opened the door to the tiny shower cubicle and sat down on the toilet seat cover. He couldn't believe that this man would so easily get under his skin time and again. He tried to slow his breathing down and regain control of himself. They would get out of here sooner or later and then things would go back to normal.

A few minutes later he reemerged from the cubicle and saw that Rimmer was still standing exactly where he'd left him.

"Listen, I'm sorry I said I thought you were stupid. I don't, alright?" Lister looked at Rimmer warily, still expecting him to blow a fuse and punch him in the face or something.

"You – like – me?" Rimmer's voice was eerily calm now.

"What? Oh, yeah sure, I like you. We're friends aren't we?" Lister felt relieved that the fight seemed to be over and flopped down on one of the chairs standing beside the table.

"You like me." This time it was more of a statement. Albeit an incredulous one.

"Is that so weird?" Lister asked, "I mean, we've been through a lot of stuff together and I have grown fond of you."

"Fond." Still a statement. Still that note of disbelief hanging over it.

Lister got back up again, wanting to be able to look Rimmer in the eyes.

"I – like – you. In fact I like you a lot. More than that really." He hadn't meant to go that far, but now it was too late to take it back. Rimmer's eyes moved slowly down from looking at a spot above his head to his face.

"More? How?"

"Well, y' know, just more." Things were starting to get a bit wobbly here and Lister could feel himself regretting his last words. Rimmer's eyes were burning little holes into the skin on his face and he felt himself reddening slightly, hoping that Rimmer wouldn't notice.

"You more than like me." Stating the obvious here but Lister let it go.

"Yeah." Keep it simple. That's the way to go.

"Y'know, like, when you like someone and then you want to spend a lot of time with that person, like, and maybe give them a hug or something, just because they're nice and you like them." Well done Lister, he thought, babbling really makes things so much better now.

Rimmer had recovered slightly from his first shock.

"So, you are saying that you like me enough to give me a hug, just because I'm nice?" His voice was incredulous now.

"Yeah." Lister tried a smile but didn't quite manage. So to emphasise his meaning he took hold of Rimmer's hand that was hanging limply by his side. His thumb stroking gently across the top of it. They stood like this for a moment, Rimmer looking down at their hands and then finally up again into Lister's face. Lister could see the total confusion in his friend's eyes.

"I know this must sound totally crazy to you. I know it sounds a bit crazy to me, too. I – "and here his voice almost failed him, "I'm really … I really really like you … a lot."

At this he didn't dare to look into Rimmer's face. He didn't want to see the repulsion, the horror. He wanted time to end now. He simply wanted the ship to get blown to pieces by an asteroid, so that these words would be his last and he would never need to hear the answer. There was a long silence, in which Lister looked down at his hand still holding Rimmer's, his breath shallow and rapid. He could feel Rimmer standing so terribly close, but couldn't gauge his reaction. Then a sound broke the silence.

"Dave."

Rimmer's voice was nothing but a whisper. Lister finally looked up into his friend's eyes. And then he saw it. He knew what it was straight away because he had been carrying the same look around for months now. Longing. Wanting. Love. Fire.

Lister reached up with his left hand and cupped Rimmer's cheek, gently stroking his skin. Then he leaned in, until they both could feel each other's quickened breath on their faces. Finally their lips touched. Gently at first, then more forcefully. Dipping in and out like a dolphin in water. Trying to repeat that first moment again and again. That first kiss. The first feeling of their lips meeting. Then Lister's hand tugged Rimmer's shirt out of his trousers and let his hands slide underneath it, trying to explore the gentle skin of his friend's hips and back. A very quiet moan escaped Rimmer's lips upon contact and the kiss became more fervent. Rimmer's hands went up to Lister's chin to unzip the overall, fumbling slightly due to the excitement of what they were about to do. They both tried not to think about it and just feel. Feel Rimmer's breath on his lips and cheeks, his hands sliding along his neck pressing him even closer to that body he had been longing to touch for months now. Rimmer slipped his hands underneath the fabric of Lister's overall and slid it off his friend's shoulders, pulling it down to the waist. Their eyes met from time to time asking for permission and searching for confirmation. But they both were too shocked for words. How could this be happening?

When their lips met again their mouths opened for the first time, allowing their tongues to caress each other. Tasting the freshness of their longing and igniting a firework inside their minds. They would go on like this forever never stopping because it was just too perfect. Still standing in the middle of the room, Lister started to push Rimmer gently towards the bed, trying to slip his own shoes off with his feet at the same time. When they reached the edge of the bed Rimmer broke the kiss to sit down and undo his laces, taking off his shoes and setting them neatly beside the bed. Lister almost laughed. Then he shrugged off the rest of the overall from his waist down and stepped out of it, now wearing only a shirt and his boxershorts. Rimmer was still fully dressed, if a bit dishevelled. Lister stepped inbetween his friend's legs and started undoing the buttons on his shirt, while Rimmer stared at him in disbelief. Lister chucked the shirt into a corner of the room and slipped Rimmer's undershirt over his head flipping it behind him as well. The look on Rimmer's face was both aroused and worried about the mess they were making. Lister giggled. Then he pushed his friend back onto the bed and leaned over him. He wanted to say something, but was still numbed by the situation. So he slipped his own shirt over his head instead and crawled right across his friend's body onto the bottom bunk, trying not to hit his head on the rungs supporting the top bunk. He lay down on top of the covers and waited for Rimmer to shift himself fully onto the bed next to him. His friend sidled onto the mattress and lay flat on his back, stockstill, looking at the roof of the bunk, not moving. His eyes wide open. Lister knew that this situation must be terrifying for Rimmer and therefore lay a hand gently onto his friends chest.

"We don't have to do anythin', y'know. We can just stop here and leave it at this."

He lay on his side, supporting his head on his hand, looking down at his friend, who was on the verge of becoming so much more.

Rimmer's eyes unstuck themselves from studying the mattress above him and his head turned slowly. He tried hard to focus on Lister. His eyes were still filled with conflicting emotions and gleaming as if he was running a fever.

"I … this is …" he was searching for the right words, which wouldn't come, "I do want to, I just don't know how."

Lister smiled at him. "Neither do I, smeghead, we'll figure it out as we go along. It can't be that hard." And he leaned in for another kiss. This time their mouths opened almost immediately, their tongues already yearning for contact after the short break. Their upper bodies pressing into each other, skin on skin. Lister's hands hungrily exploring his friend's body, of which he had already glimpsed bits here and there, but never gotten this close.

So far he had avoided to look down any further than the waist, afraid to see what would inevitably be there. His own erection had been crying out to him since their first kiss and he knew his friend would most likely be aroused as well. He had never in his life looked at, never mind touched, another man's erection. But now he forced his eyes down past the navel following the slim line of hair that disappeared into Rimmer's underpants. He tried not to show his uneasiness and ran his hand down to cover his friend's shaft, stroking it gently, trying to familiarise himself with the feeling. Rimmer sucked the air in sharply as he felt Lister's hand on his hardened penis. His head was about to explode. He couldn't think of anything except that he didn't want Lister to stop. He was so close, he could already feel it. Like a cold breeze before a thunderstorm leaving goosebumps all over your body and you know the clouds are about to break open to shed their load.

Lister now slipped his hand underneath the waistband of Rimmer's underpants, completely forgetting about his worries of touching another man's cock. Overwhelmed by the heat coming off Rimmer's body and the shudders running over him. He closed his fist around the hard shaft and slowly started to move. As Rimmer had thought, it didn't take long for him to reach his climax. His back arched into Lister's hand and hot liquid spurted from the tip. Trying to take in every inch of his friend's pleasure, Lister let his eyes wander between Rimmer's face and his cock. He could hardly control himself anymore and felt the orgasm almost as his own.

When his friend fell back onto the bed fully spent, Lister took a moment to look at him. The hair was a curly mess now and his cheeks flushed with pleasure. The body was trim and well defined with soft skin, still carrying that schoolboyish look, although he was well into his thirties by now. Lister wondered about how Rimmer would think about his body. He had never been a friend of too much exercise and although he was slim as well, he wasn't as fit as Rimmer was. Deciding to leave the contemplation of his body to Rimmer, he lay back with his hands behind his head, smiling. He was perfectly happy now. Admittedly it had been difficult to come to terms with his feelings for Rimmer in the first place and then to hold them back until he could be sure that his friend wouldn't laugh in his face when he told him. But this blackout couldn't have come at a better time. He would have to thank Holly for that later.


End file.
